Butternut Squash Beer & Cheese Soup

Winter means new crops and Butternut squash is one of my favorites to experiment with. Here is a recipe I came up with one day when an empty fridge was staring me in the face. I love cooking with very limited ingredients some of my favorite meals come from those times. The squash makes this so velvety and smooth without any cream. It is the perfect winter warmer.

Special Tools
An immersion blender really makes this better (this one was rated #1 by Cooks Illustrated).

Directions
In a dutch oven heat a little canola oil or butter (I used a small mix of both). On a medium heat saute veggies until the onion starts to become translucent, stir frequently to prevent burning. Add flour and spices and stir to incorporate, cook for a minute don’t let anything burn. Add chicken stock and beer, salt, pepper. Don’t over salt you can always adjust later. Turn heat on high and bring to a boil, stir, reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook for 20-30 minutes.

Test veggies to make sure they are very tender, if they are not then cook some more. If they are done, add the hot sauce, then taste and adjust salt and spice.

Remove from heat. Use immersion blender to blend the soup completely smooth, while the blender is going add the cheese a handful at a time. Blend until completely smooth. Top with popcorn or croutons. Enjoy.